Customer Reviews

L.A. International Airport

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There are two songs everybody thinks of when they board an airplane - Leaving On A Jet Plane and L.A. International Airport. One of the most striking country songs ever released, Susan Raye's vocal gymnastics on L.A. International Airport are one of the finest performances ever. I can remember when the song was released one of the announcers on our local radio station proclaimed "That song is going to get to number one even if I have to push it up there in a wheelbarrow". It didn't need such help - within a few weeks it was a national number one hit. Along with the other songs on this collection this is a must have.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!! After 8 years of searching in vain for Susan Raye's recording, low and behold I stumble here at Amazon, and don't you know it, when I saw this CD listed with a WHOPPING 25 tracks, import , and a modest price to boot, I quickly ordered. And WHAT a find. I can remember when I was growing up, hardly a week went by when she wasn't on television, showing off her beautiful voice and cascading dark hair. The thrilling feelings all came back when I put this cd on. "L.A. International Airport", a staple of radio stations in the early '70s, "Precious Memories", and I remember the debut of that song, "The Cheating Game", a song I had never heard, but had recommended to me by a friend, I listened to it a full 20 times!! My god, what a classic song. The arrangement, the voice, the material, all a first-class match for a truly incredible tear-filled performance. The remastering is top-notch. You CAN'T go wrong with this CD, and even if you've never heard of her if you like Lynn Anderson, etc, buy it. You can't truly be a country music fan if you don't have this CD in your collection.

Those of us who were country fans in the early 1970's know fully well that Susan Raye was just as popular at the time as Loretta, Dolly, Lynn, and Tammy. She has the beauty of Vivien Leigh and one of the greatest, most appealing country voices of alltime. Listen to her thrilling vocals on LA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, the devestating CHEATING GAME, the adorable PITTY PITTY PATTER, the spine-chilling GHOST STORY, the hilarious WHATCHA GONNA DO WITH A DOG LIKE THAT, the country classic STOP THE WORLD, etc. etc. and you will realize this is one of the true greats of country. It's outrageous most books now right her off as merely Buck Owens duet partner as her solo records were vastly more popular, regularly hitting the top ten for years. She should have won some CMA awards but had the bad luck to have her peak during the Loretta-Tammy-Lynn years when they had all the awards sewed up. Still, she is one of the true greats and you will get a "happy heart" from this collection!!

Susan was an excellent country singer of the early seventies, but never quite reached the front rank. She was overshadowed by Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Lynn Anderson, who were the major country queens at the time - and there was also competition from Barbara Fairchild, Donna Fargo, Dottie West, Connie Smith and others. It is no wonder that Susan struggled to make a really big impact.

Susan was discovered by Buck Owens' manager, and many of her songs were written by Buck. She also recorded some duets with Buck, though none of them are included here. Her most famous song, LA international airport, was a country top ten hit, as were Willy Jones, Pitty pitty patter, I've got a happy heart, My heart had a mind of it's own (a cover of a Connie Francis classic) and Whatcha gonna do with a dog like that. All those tracks are included here, along with several others which were lesser hits on the country charts.

Susan's music is well worth a listen if (like me) you're into traditional country in a big way. This is the best of the two compilations available at the time of this review. I'd like to hear more, especially the duets with Buck, but the wait for more of Susan's music on CD could be a long one.

I'm not going to bore you with a lot of personal comments about the greatness of Susan Raye. But what I will say is that any song she has ever recorded is a treasure. The songs on this CD are simply delightful. If you can remember how great Susan Raye's contributions to Country & Western music were back in the 1970's, you have to get this CD before it goes out of print.